Welding flux



June 21, 1938. c. s. CHADWICK WELDING FLUX Filed Aug. 1, 1934 FERROUS METAL WELDING ROD r V//// r///////// FLUX CONTAINING COLUMBIUM FIG.|

FLUX CONTAINING 'COLUMBIUM IYNVENTOR CECIL G. CHA DWIC K ATTRNE Patented June 21, 1938 PAT NT OFFICE WELDING FLUX Cecil G. Chadwick, West New York, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation, a corporation of New York Application August 1, 1934, Serial No. 737,899

4 Claims.

The invention relates to welding, and is a com-. position of matter for use as a flux in welding operations.

It is known thatthe addition of columbium imparts desirable and valuable properties to certher, chromium-nickel steels containing say 12% to chromium; 6% to 35% nickel, and up to about 0.3% carbon tend when welded to lose a substantial part of their resistance to corrosion.

. Ithas heretofore been proposed to improve the welding characteristics of the above mentioned steels by adding columbium to the metal to be welded and to the welding rod. Although good results have been obtained in this way, metal containing columbium tends to lose part of its content of this element during welding operations. In many instances it is neither economical nor metallurgically advisable to provide sufllcient columbium in the base metal and/or welding rod metal to insure the presence of satisfactory amounts of columbium in the completed weld, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a more flexible way of dealing with the problem.

'Ihe invention is a welding fluxcontainin columbium, preferably in the form of finely comminuted term-columbium. Slag forming materials for example, silicon, silica, silicates, metal oxides, metal carbonates, and borax, and/or a binder, for example a soluble silicate or silicon ester, may also be incorporated in the flux. Although the proportions to be used are not critical, it is recommended that the columbium content be about 5% to about of the flux com-- position, although as little as two or three percentum columbium is useful and within the in vention. A flux composition which I have found experimentally to be entirely satisfactory contains;

' Parts by weight columbium as ferroc'olumbium about 5 to 30 Feldspar about 30 Calcium carbonate about 10 Chrome ore about 5 I u The loss of columbium during welding may be decreased if silicon or aluminum is added to the flux.

.The flux of the invention may be applied to the portions of the work which are being welded in the form of a powder or a paste, or it may be applied to the welding rod as a coat or sheath, or both methods of application may be used at once. Suitable forms of coated welding rods are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a welding rod 10 and of a flux coat I l containing columbium and slag forming materials, and

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of a welding rod ID, of a flux coat I! containing columbium, and of a second flux coat l3 containing slag forming materials.

The flux may be attached to the rod by forming an adhesive paste or adhesive glaze contain:

ing the flux, in which case the structure shown in Figure 1 is obtained; by placing a layer of flux next to the rod and covering this layer with an adhesive paste or glaze, obtaining the structure shown in Figure 2; or by holding the flux onto the rod by a fabric sheath in known manner.

Experiments have demonstrated the advantages of the invention. In certain of these experiments, a ferrocolumbium alloy containing a proximately 62.5% columbium, 7% silicon,- 2% manganese, 0.33% carbon, 1.64% tantalum, remainder-substantlaliy all iron, was ground to pass 'about 100 mesh (about 0.15 mm. screen opening),

and mixed with slag forming materials containing feldspar, calcium carbonate, and chrome ore. Mixtures containing respectively about 13%, 22%, and 32.4% by weight of columbium were preparedand applied as coats to welding rods. Each rod so coated was then deposited by electric arc welding, and the deposit analyzed, the analysis being then compared to that of metal deposited under identical conditions without the use of the columbium-containing flux. The results of these experiments are contained in the following table:

Composition of welding rod Percent Percent columbium m Per crent Pelrzcent P6139110 Pecgnt in flux weld metal 6. 34 Nil (7. 07 l. .None 0. 6. 34 Nil 0.07 1.55 13. 3 l. 35

. 6. 34 Nil 0.07 l. 55 21. 9 1.89 6. 34 Nil 0.07 1.55 32. 4 2. 30 18. 39 8. 95-. 0. 06 0. 72 None 0. 28 18.39 8. 95 0.06 0.72 13. 3 0.64 18. 39 8. 95 0. 06 O. 72 21. 9 1. ll) 18. 39 8. 95 0. 06 0. 72 32. 4 2. l7

' obtained when the flux is used on steels containin'g about2% to 35% chromiumare surprisingly ductile and strong,,and those obtained on the 188 type chromium-nickel steels are extremely resistant to corrosion.

All proportions and percentages mentioned herein and in the appended claims are by weight. Although specific embodiments of the invention "have been described in detail herein, it will be readily understood that such embodiments are presented merely as examples, and that the invention is not limited to or'by them except as required by the state of the art. I claim: I 1

1. A flux for use in welding steels containing more than about 2% chromium, to produce welds substantially free from non-metallic inclusions and soluble carbides, said flux comprising a substantial proportion of columbium in the metallic state, silicon, and a slag-forming material composed of feldspar and calcium carbonate, the columbium forming about 10% to 40% of the flux.

2. A flux for use in the gas-welding of steels containing more than about 2% chromium, ,to produce welds substantially free from non-metallic inclusions and soluble carbides, said flux comprising a substantial proportion of columbium in the metallic state, and a slag-forming material comprising metallic silicon, feldspar, calcium car= bonate and chrome ore.

3. A fluxior use in the gas-welding of steels containing more, than about 2% chromium. to produce welds substantially free from non-metallic inclusions and soluble carbides, said flux comprising a substantial proportion of columbium in the metallic state, and a slag-forming material having approximately the composition, in parts by weight: feldspar 30 parts; calcium carbonate 10 parts; chrome ore 5 parts; the columbium forming about 10% to 40% of the flux by weight.

4. A flux for use in the gas-welding of steels containing more than about 2% chromium, to

produce welds substantially free from non-metallic inclusions and soluble carbides, said flux comprising silicon, a substantial proportion of columbium in the form of comminuted ferro-columbium, and a slag-forming material having approximately the composition, in parts by weight: feldspar 30 parts; calcium carbonate 10 parts; chrome ore 5 parts; the columbium forming about 10% to 40% of the flux.

CECIL G. CHADWICK. 

